AP Sports Preview: Pepperdine at Seattle

BELLEVUE, Wash. (Interstat) — Pepperdine visits Seattle University on Saturday afternoon at Bannerwood Park in the second game of a three-game West Coast Conference series, with first pitch set for 1 p.m. under cloudy skies and a temperature of 61 degrees.

Pepperdine (15-26 overall) won Friday’s series opener 3-1. The Waves will turn to right-hander Casey Euper, who has been dominant in recent outings. Over his last three starts, Euper has allowed no hits in two of them, including a seven-inning, 13-strikeout performance April 10 against Pacific and a six-inning, five-strikeout effort Friday against Seattle. In his most recent outing, he threw six shutout innings with five strikeouts and no hits allowed. For the season, Euper has 28 strikeouts over his last 19 innings.

Seattle (12-22) counters with right-hander Blake Smith, who has worked primarily in relief this season. Smith threw 2.2 innings Friday, allowing one hit and no earned runs with one strikeout. Over his last six appearances, he has a 1.80 ERA across 14.1 innings, striking out 16 while allowing seven hits. Smith has not allowed a run in four of his last five outings.

The Redhawks have lost four of their last five games overall, including a 9-5 defeat at San Diego State on Monday. Seattle’s offense has struggled to string together hits, scoring three or fewer runs in three of its last four losses.

Pepperdine has won three of its last four games, including a 6-3 home win over Cal Poly on Tuesday. The Waves have received strong contributions from designated hitter Joshua Woodworth, who homered and drove in a run Friday.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-3 Seattle victory, but the same service’s ELO system gives Pepperdine a 51.4 percent chance to win, reflecting the series opener’s outcome.

The teams close the series Sunday afternoon at Bannerwood Park. Pepperdine then returns home for a three-game series against San Francisco starting May 1, while Seattle travels to Saint Mary’s for a three-game set beginning the same day.